Lack of long-term care beds causes crowding at Bridgewater ER

All of Colchester Regional Hospital’s 102 beds are full, while there is no room at the emergency department at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater, either.

Fifteen patients sick enough that they must be admitted to hospital in Bridgewater are in beds in the examining room, in stretchers in the hallway and reclining chairs lined up against the wall.

“They’re everywhere they could be,” said Liz Finney, spokeswoman for South Shore Health.

In Truro, the bed shortage has caused delayed admissions, backed up emergency care and postponed some elective, non-emergency surgeries. Colchester East Hants Health Authority spokeswoman Krista Wood said it is not uncommon for people to wait for a bed, but the hospital staff “tend to be able to keep things moving.”

“This is sort of beyond that normal busyness,” Wood said.

She said 35 of the beds are filled by people waiting for placements in nursing homes or other care facilities, a higher number than usual.

The numbers had improved with the recent opening of new nursing homes in the district, but Wood said the demand persists and is starting to have a more regular impact on the hospital.

“We know that in addition to the people that are waiting in our hospital, there’s also many individuals who are at home being cared for by loved ones who are waiting for placement in community settings, as well.”

There are 2,250 Nova Scotians waiting for a long-term care placement, said Wood.

Some of those people are in beds at the Bridgewater hospital, which is causing the shortage there.

Finney said 25 to 30 per cent of the hospital’s beds are occupied by discharged patients waiting to be admitted to long-term care facilities, twice the number of last year.

The hospital in Truro will finally move to its new location near Highway 102 in late November. Although the new facility has increased space and room for future expansion, it will open with fewer beds — 98 — meaning there will be no immediate relief to the bed shortage issue there.

“There will be many benefits to having a new facility, but having additional beds is not one of those,” said Wood.

As staffs deal with the shortage, Wood and Finney said the public is encouraged to seek options other than going to the emergency department for non-emergency needs; that includes attending walk-in clinics, visiting a family doctor or calling 811 to speak with a registered nurse.

Staff works on a daily basis to manage beds, said Wood, even when they aren’t at full capacity. There are twice-daily meetings within departments to gauge bed availability, look at upcoming cases and existing patient loads to determine the daily needs of all patients.

“Every day of the year, we have a team that comes together and talks about how to manage our beds and offer the best care to patients.”

Finney, who said the Health and Wellness Department is aware of the issue, said the dilemma is taking its toll on staff.

“They have chosen the medical profession because they care and they’re dedicated to delivering quality health care to every patient that comes through the door. It’s a challenge to them, and they do feel the pressure.”